That One Mistake
by BlinkzTwice
Summary: She realized that she shouldn't have followed her friend in the first place. Kagome was right; this wasn't her world, and it never will be. Curiosity will kill her, literally. Bankotsu was a killer. Once a murderer, always a murderer. Even she can't save everyone, but can she try? Bankotsu/Ayumi (minor character). Rated T(maybe later M) for violence and other good stuff.
1. Chapter 1: I Need to Know

**Author's notes: I obviously don't own any of Rumiko Takahashi's characters. I just want to use them to create more inspirations for other amateur writers out there. It's all for fun! And hope you all enjoy~ :)**

 **Chapter One: I Need to Know**

Ayumi knew that Kagome was lying, it doesn't require someone to be a class genius to know what's really going on. Her best friend came down with a cold, _again._ And this time, Kagome didn't bother to go to class anymore. Her sickness usually ranged from chickenpox to the flu; Ayumi understood that those were serious concerns. But the common cold? Not likely at all.

Kagome was hiding something, and she wanted to know just exactly what it was. That distraction had been preventing Kagome from studying and she would soon be repeating another year in junior high. Ayumi was adamant against that idea; she was going to pull Kagome's airy head from her fantasies even if it meant confronting her in her own home today.

Ayumi knew that Kagome and Inuyasha were an item (and they are rather cute), but it didn't excuse Kagome's continuous absences in class.

"Humph!" Ayumi breathed heavily under everyone's notice. Today after school, she will go to Kagome Higurashi's place and figure out all this nonsense (and her boyfriend) once and for all. No more secrets.

She was about to head towards the lawn clearings toward her destination when she heard giggles behind her. She recognized Yuka and Eri's voice in split seconds. Sighing a breath of relief, she turned around with a big smile.

"What's up, guys?" She approached them and they wrapped their arms around her in a group hug.

Yuka smirked. "We heard Kagome's "sick" again. That makes it the fifth time this month, no offence. Her tricks are getting old."

Eri sighed sadly, "Poor Kagome, her immune system seems to have bumped into some terrible virus." The other girl shook her head languidly. Ayumi closed her mouth as soon as she felt the urge to spill the tea. She needed a one-on-one discussion with Kagome first. It wasn't that she didn't want to share the problem with Eri and Yuka, but their persistent arguments on how Kagome should just dump Inuyasha for good just wouldn't be the best method to get Kagome to warm up to them and spill the truth.

Ayumi closed her eyes and inhaled."Yeah, I'm worried, too. I was thinking about checking up on her within a few days."

Yuka scoffed. "Yeah, maybe we should check up on both her and her "boyfriend". I bet he's the one instigating all her absences." Now usually, Yuka's stance against Inuyasha would pique a feeling of annoyance from Ayumi and she would come to Kagome's defence. However, her suspicions were powerful today, and she hadn't the heart to argue.

"You guys shouldn't come." Ayumi stated firmly. "We need to calm Kagome down before leading her back to school. Your spouts against Inuyasha may only upset her more. I need a simple talk with her before you guys dump your "Hojo is the best" mantra on her."

She was serious, as much as she adored Yuka, she knew that her vehemence against Kagome's relationship would only cause the crack between the friends to widden. If they wanted Kagome to come back, they had to appease her first.

Eri hummed thoughtfully, "Yeah, maybe we should lay back a little bit on that." Yuka huffed, and Ayumi shot her a glance.

The shorter-haired girl reluctantly relented. "Fine, we'll let Ayumi talk to Kagome first. After that, we should have enough grip on her to pull her back from that Inuyasha."

Ayumi rolled her eyes, at least Yuka wasn't going to attack Kagome at the moment. She needed to a find a better way to bridge the difference that was increasing between them, she had to.

"Take it easy, Ayumi." Eri pipped in. "Relax and go slow. Kagome's our best friend, she'll come around for sure."

 _I hope she does._ Ayumi's rarely visible pessimistic side was coming through; no matter what she told herself about Kagome, there was something that was going on in her life that was sucking her from civilization. And if this continued on, Kagome could really lose touch with everything, including them.

It was almost dark when Ayumi approached the Higurashi Household. The lights were on in Kagome's room and she shuddered nervously. She tried to come up with a passive excuse for confronting her at the middle of night. "Why aren't you coming to school" seemed to aggressive as an approach. But she still couldn't figure it out how to broach the subject of absences and Inuyasha without feeling too nosy and pathetic.

"Just breath and relax." Ayumi stepped onto their porch and rang the doorbell. Maybe just coming clean with everything will make things swift. But what if Kagome got even more defensive. The girl shook her head; she had to try, though.

The door opened up to reveal Mrs. Higurashi's kind face. The woman took one look at Ayumi and beamed even brighter.

"Why hello, Ayumi!" The older woman exclaimed as she invited her in. "Are you visiting Kagome? How have you been? Are you hungry?"

The hoard of questions momentarily stunned Ayumi before she was able to resurface from the assault. Mama Higurashi was Mama Higurashi for a reason; the kind woman loved to spoil guests, and well, children.

Ayumi smiled, glad to be welcomed at such time of the day. "Yes, Mrs. Higurashi. I just wanted to see how Kagome was doing. Eri, Yuka, and I are very worried about her, since this was her fifth time getting ill this past month." She looked up to the older woman, who was already in the kitchen preparing what seems to be dinner.

"Oh how very thoughtful of you, Ayumi!" Her cheery voice rang from the kitchen. "How about you just stay over for the night, hun? It's very dark outside already and you do live rather far away from here."

She was startled at the sudden invitation. Ayumi winced, she didn't want to intrude on Kagome's personal issues when living with the family. She didn't want to come off as rude when all she wanted was her friend back. But still, Mrs. Higurashi's warm smile made saying 'no' unacceptable.

Ayumi relented and beamed back. "Alright! So...where's Kagome?" She hoped her awkwardness didn't relay into her speech, but the older woman only shrugged and nodded to the upstairs.

"She's in her room, as always. Have fun, girls!" She winked and went right back to preparing the meal. Not being able to bear her own awkward silence any longer, Ayumi bolted for Kagome's room.

Her nervousness took over her so much that she barely even knocked before barging into her room to make sure she was ok. Ayumi fumed for making such a fool at herself and was stuttering an apology before she locked eyes with her very best friend. She dropped the care package that was in her arms.

Not only was Kagome ok, but she was in the arms of that very man that Yuka despised so much. Ayumi had to steady herself after gawking at the pair before clearing her throat . So Inuyasha did have something to do with Kagome's absences?

"Hi, 'Yumi-chan!" Kagome jumped off her bead and gathered her in a hug. Despite the previous awkwardness that enveloped her, Ayumi felt all other thoughts evaporate as she felt the kind embrace of the latter girl. She almost missed her hugs. Almost.

Ayumi coughed uncomfortably, almost losing air from Kagome's sudden bear hug. "Kagome, I love ya, too. But you're suffocating me!"

Realizing her exasperated state, her friend jumped right back with a sheepish grin. "Haha, sorry about that. I was just excited to see you!"

"I know right." Ayumi tried to be sarcastic to lighten the mood. It only came off stiff and weird, however. "I..uh, brought you some snacks and drinks to make you feel better…?" She picked up the dropped package and handed it over.

Kagome's eyes sparkled at the treat and squealed. "Oh my god, really? Oh, Ayumi, thank you!" But before she could open the box, Inuyasha stepped in and snatched it away.

Now here came the weird part, Ayumi watched as he _sniffed_ the container left and right thoroughly before tossing it back to his "girlfriend".

He flopped back onto the bed and declared: "The box is safe, Kagome. She isn't an imposter or anything."

Dazed, Ayumi just gaped at him. Did he just imply that he thought she was going to hurt Kagome? In an instant, Ayumi could feel her temper rising at the strange, silver-haired boy. Where in the world did he get the idea that she was going to spike Kagome's food. How dare her, a simple boy who barely knew Kagome, just walk into their friendship like it was nothing?

For a split second, the curly-haired girl wanted to believe that Yuka was right; Inuyasha was truly a delinquent.

"Um, _excuse_ me-?" Her snapping was cut short as kagome whacked Inuyasha on the head two times.

The glaring Kagome seethed as the latter hid behind the covers for his dear life. "Stop being so rude to everyone, Inuyasha! Ayumi-chan is almost like family. How could she do something like that?"

As if poked with a needle, the boy shot up from his hideout and glared daggers at her. He pointed an accusing finger at Kagome and snarled.

"You never know she's a demon under the disguise of Ayumi, Kagome! Look what Renkotsu did to us back there!" It took a few seconds for him to come in full circle with what he said and he quickly clamped his mouth shut. Ayumi, stunned beyond words, turned to Kagome for an explanation.

A demon? Just what world were they living in?

Ayumi didn't stutter this time. "Uh, what?" Her usually understanding tone gave away to incredulity.

Her friend's next sentence came out faster than particles shooting in the speed of light. "It's just a joke, 'Yumi-chan. Come on, we're just rehearsing for the possible next school play. Right, Inuyasha?"

Kagome laughed hysterically before patting Ayumi on the shoulder. Ayumi quirked a brow, cringing at Kagome's robotic behavior.

"There's no more school plays this year, Kagome…" Her statement seemed to slap her friend across the face because she immediately stumbled and jittered her speech. Kagome fumbled with her fingers before putting on a bright (maybe too bright) smile.

She cleared her throat and stood up straighter. "We are just rehearsing for a possible play, 'Yumi-chan. I was thinking of proposing the idea to the Theater director in a while."

"I see." Ayumi decided against arguing further and dropped the subject. "Anyways, how have you been? Feeling better?" She walked over to Kagome and held a hand to her forehead. It was definitely warmer than usual. Ayumi frowned: poor Kagome, something must've been happening to her lately to result in such a weak immune system.

Kagome smiled wryly. "It could be better. But I've been improving."

Hearing a positive note, Ayumi quickly added the big question of the day. "So are you coming back soon? I can help you with the classwork and other stuff that you missed if you want."

She wanted to slap herself as soon as the words left her mouth, because Kagome looked as if someone had burned her house down.

"Um, maybe." Kagome's reply was shaky. "But I don't know. You know, I have been getting sick a lot recently. Don't wanna get others ill, too. Aha."

She evaded the question entirely. Something was definitely wrong now, Ayumi had never seen Kagome so nervous when asked such simple question. She felt worried all over again. She put an arm around her.

Ayumi sputtered. "Uh, I-I guess. But please tell me if anything goes wrong, Kagome. We are so worried about you. And we barely saw you for the past few months." She had to cover up her disappointment. Her frustration that was building had to be squashed before she had a mental breakdown in front of everyone.

"It's alright, 'Yumi-chan." Kagome chirped happily. "I really appreciate your efforts." She held Ayumi's hand in hers and smiled warmly.

As if remembering something, she gasped, looked quizzically Ayumi and asked, "Have you had any yummy food to eat yet?"

"Oh," Ayumi was caught off guard again. "I'm alright. Apparently, I gonna stay overnight with you guys for today since your mom thinks it's too dangerous for me to go back home at this time of the day. I'll be having supper here."

Kagome beamed. "That's awesome! We can gossip some now that you're here. Inuyasha can go read some manga I have here, let's go hang out."

Ayumi looked over to the bed where the strange boy was flipping through books and frowned. She had wanted to know more about him. What if he was the reason behind Kagome's constant disappearances.

She opened her mouth to protest but was pulled out of the room before she knew it. She sighed in exasperation; maybe this was for the better, though. If Kagome was really adamant on not saying anything to her, then she wasn't going to force an answer.

But at the back of her head, curiosity gnawed at her brain like a parasite. Maybe she would find out, eventually.


	2. Chapter 2: Magic Rabbit Holes do Exist

Chapter Two: Magic Rabbit Holes Do Exist

Ayumi decided that she should just drop everything and let Kagome decide what to do with Inuyasha. The morning after her sleepover was filled with questions and suspicions; Inuyasha never took off his bandana, and he loved to sniff at everything new in his way. Ayumi almost felt like Kagome was dating a human puppy. But she squandered that thought as soon as it surfaced. She didn't have the right to talk about him behind his back, he was her friend's boyfriend, and she really needed to come to terms with that.

He was caring towards Kagome as he made her herbal medications for her cold. Ayumi had to admit that it was heartwarming. She should definitely tell Yuka and Eri that maybe they were wrong about him.

Mrs. Higurashi made sure that everyone had a fulfilling breakfast before sending her off to the door. Ayumi thanked her profusely before setting off back to school. She was almost going to be late.

But as soon as she closed her distance to the streets, her legs stopped in their tracks. Ayumi inhaled heavily. She still wanted to know, it turned out that her mind-boggling curiosity about Kagome's well-being was just too great that she couldn't even bring herself to walk away without confronting her at least once.

If she didn't get an answer from Kagome about anything, especially about her puppy-like boyfriend, she'll go crazy.

Ayumi made up her mind. Turning on her heels, she made a beeline straight back towards the Higurashi house. Her hands were almost balled to knock on the door before she heard a faint string of whispers on the side of the building.

"Are you sure about this…" The low voice was most likely that of a man's. Something inside her fluttered. Ayumi couldn't help but find the sound very familiar. She inched towards the side of the house and closer to the clearing behind the house.

"Inuyasha, I'm fine!"

She stopped in her tracks. Now she definitely knew who the voices belonged to. With her hands on the wall, Ayumi strained her neck to peer out from behind her hideout. Her eyes swept across the plains and up and down the area. She swore she heard voices, though. It couldn't be a mistake. It was Kagome's voice.

It wasn't until she was about to give up and head back when she noticed the familiar, silver-headed boy in the corners of her eyes. Ayumi, once again, plastered herself against the walls and peeked.

There they were, Kagome and Inuyasha, hovering over a well? Ayumi's eyes narrowed; just what kind of mischief was Kagome up to now? Wasn't she supposed to be in her room resting?

She surveyed the duo as they looked ready to dive through the well between them. Alarm bells rang in Ayum's head. Why was Kagome carrying a backpack with her? Her eyes widened at the sight of Kagome swinging a foot around the opening of said well.

What in Buddha's grace are they doing?! Ayumi was full-on shaking at this point, her thoughts were jumbled all over the place. She couldn't believe that her best friend, her smart and kind Kagome, was about to jump right into a damn well? She could seriously injure herself!

Then it occurred to her; was this a way for Kagome to stay out of school? So that she could skip class and hang out with her boyfriend? Ayumi felt an unexplainable hurt rising from her stomach. She refused to face the possible idea that kagome may be purposefully avoiding her and everyone else.

But even with that in mind, she couldn't just let kagome jump. She might hit her head against something or even worse, drown.

"Kagome wait!" Her voice was hoarse from fear as she ran as fast as she could towards the girl who was getting ready to toss herself into a chasm. Kagome didn't hear her, she was too far away. Inuyasha had already disappeared into the well, and now it was Kagome's turn. Ayumi could feel her heart beating through her chest, ready to pound away her ears.

She was close now, her hands reach out to find a hold for herself. Kagome was launching herself from the sides of the structure and Ayumi grabbed onto her sleeves just in time as Kagome was preparing for freefall.

"Ayumi?!" Kagome screamed. Ignoring her shrill cry, Ayumi tried to pull her from her stupid stunt, but her breath caught in her throat. For a second, the two were in midair. Ayumi was no longer on the ground as Kagome's weight and gravity dragged her down the opening of the well. She screamed with her as they made their tumble down the water chasm.

Bracing for an impact with water, Ayumi closed her eyes and held her breath. Everything will be ok. Everything will be ok. We'll call for help. Oh my god. Oh my god. Omygodomygodomygod!

She waited for the cold waters to hit them, she waited for a loud splash. But all she felt was a heavy thump on her backside and she yelped in pain. She and Kagome held onto one another as they seemingly crashed onto dusty, hard earth. It took a moment for her to notice that they were, on the contrary, not engulfed with water.

"W-wha-?" Ayumi stammered. She dared to open her eyes as she felt the girl beside her move away. Bright light blasted down on her as she faced up. She groaned in slight pain. So the well was dried up?

She looked to Kagome, who was already dusting herself off and staring at her in disbelief.

Kagome was staring at her, she was staring at Kagome. Ayumi's heart was filled with dread; Inuyasha was gone, she swore she saw him jump, too. Kagome took a step forward and shook her by the shoulders.

"Are you really here?" Kagome's question was mind-boggling. Ayumi restrained herself from snorting. Of course she was here, she jumped right after her.

Ayumi looked at her weirdly and replied, "Yeah, well, obviously. I came after you, remember? You were going to hurt yourself and I couldn't let that happen."

Her response set off a startled shriek from Kagome. Before she could open her mouth to speak, an impatient sound came from above.

"Hey Kagome, what are ya waiting for down there? Hurry up!" That all familiar voice rained down the well from the top. Ayumi looked up ahead and there was Inuyasha, full of proud and glory, standing up outside.

What in the world? But he jumped! Her thoughts swam again, and she suddenly felt nauseating. It was then she screamed and pointed to his head.

There, resting on top of Inuyasha's temples, where the bandana should've been, was a pair of canine ears. And the nails on his fingers, that were very normal the night before, had now turned to claws.

Ayumi screamed even louder as he jumped down to retrieve them.

Kagome held her as she thrashed around. "Shhh, it's okay, 'Yumi-chan. He won't hurt you. He's a nice guy."

"Nice guy?!" Ayumi shrieked. "Look at those freakin claws, Kagome!" She tried to get away from Inuyasha as he walked closer, but the latter was stronger and he managed to hoist her up to land despite her desperate clawing at his face.

Upon landing, Ayumi dashed across the field on instinct, trying to find help. But all she saw were plains after plains, and lots and lots of farms. To her horror, it wasn't just any type of farm, up towards the side of the field was rows of old-fashioned Japanese minkas.

Shock spiked through her body; was she not back to where she was before? Where was she now?

Kagome was at her side in an instant. "Ayumi, listen to me. I'm sorry I did this to you-"

"You did what?!" Ayumi was far from listening now, she was sobbing on the ground. She couldn't believe it. Did she transport herself to a different area? And how did Kagome do this?

"Look," Kagome was breathing heavily as well, "I can explain everything to you. Just please calm down."

Her words flowed slowly into Ayumi's ears and she stilled after a few more minutes of crying. She quickly ran into Kagome's hug. Her friend patted her backside comfortingly.

Ayumi turned to her, expecting the full explanation. Kagome looked back to Inuyasha, who was staring at them in awe incredulity. She exhaled and turned back to Ayumi.

"We are in the Feudal Era. The well I just jumped into was supposed to take only me. But since we were connected when I initiated the transportation you came through as well. I know this is a lot to take in, but please believe me."

Her words almost had a dreamy effect on Ayumi. She locked eyes with her friend and couldn't even try to hold in her laughter. This was crazy, it must've been some sort of cruel joke...She couldn't be back in the ancient times. Those only happened in cheesy fantasy novels.

Ayumi wheezed, "You gotta be kidding me, Kagome-chan."

"I'm not." Kagome looked dead serious. Ayumi's stomach lurched; oh no.

She looked frantically at Inuyasha, who was now approaching the duo with mild annoyance planted on his features.

"Then what is he?!" Ayumi shrieked once more and hid behind Kagome. "I'm pretty sure there were no clawed, doggy-eared people back in the days!"

Inuyasha's nose flared. "Hey! Watch it!"

His temperament apparently angered Kagome, because she stepped up to him and shouted the loudest command to sit Ayumi has ever heard. What happened was stupefying: Inuyasha facepalmed himself so hard into the ground that even the dirt beneath him gave away. He gave a whimpering yelp and stilled.

Never in her time of live did Ayumi actually feel bad for the poor "boy". Kagome faced a gawking Ayumi and took her hands.

Her voice was full of tenderness. "Come, I have a lot to explain to you. We need to get you to safety first, then I'll answer anything you ask. There's no point in lying anymore to you now that you've seen everything."

Ayumi stared back at the dog "boy" on the ground. "Um, what about Inuyasha?"

Kagome huffed. "We'll leave him to come back to us later. Don't worry." Her angry tone made Ayumi flinch. So he wasn't a danger afterall…

It didn't take as long for her to understand what was going on as she thought she did. But it was still mind-boggling. Ayumi was barely grasping the reality that Kagome had been in contact with demons? What kind of world did they live in? How could demons be even real.

Ayumi thought of an English novel she read during middle school: The Chronicles of Narnia. Her situation seems so eerily similar to the Pevensie childrens'. She wanted to faint.

"So…" Her words struggled to form a coherent sentence. "You are after a jewel?" She felt stupid for asking it. After the four-hour talk with Kagome, the only detail that stuck to her the most was some random "jewel" that kept popping up in explanations.

Kagome nodded. "It's a very powerful item, 'Yumi-chan. And we are after a dangerous man who wishes to use it to become a monster."

What? This was starting to sound more like the novel Lord of The Rings now. Ayumi had to bite back a hysterical laugh; oh how screwed up had she become now. She glanced up at Kagome.

"So y-you...are a priestess?" Her next question sounded even more baffled than ever. "How are you doing this, Kagome? You could get yourself killed!"

Her friend hung her head low, seemingly ashamed to say something.

"Only I can sense the jewel shards, 'Yumi-chan. People need me here. Please understand." Her voice shook and her shoulders sagged. At this, Ayumi felt sick; she never wanted kagome to feel responsible, but this was not child's play.

"But you can go home, right?" Ayumi found herself sounding like a child pining for their mother's attention.

A sigh escaped Kagome's lips. "I can't take us home. The well seems to choose when we can go back sometimes. I'm just so angry at myself for accidentally dragging you here. I'll have to cover you up. It's not safe with Naraku and the Band of Seven lurking around at this time for you to be here."

The corners of Ayumi's mouth turned up and she smiled. "I won't leave you here Kagome. We'll get through this and go home. You're my best friend. No more hiding from me, ok?"

Kagome nodded her head. Ayumi thought she could see a trace of fresh tears trailing down her cheeks. Her heart ached for the other girl.

She scooted closer to the other girl and wrapped her arms around her. They will be okay, she promised to herself that they would get out. They had to, no matter what.


	3. Chapter 3: Vacation Gone Wrong

**Chapter Three**

Barely a day passed before Inuyasha rounded up his team for another search for the shikon jewel shards. Ayumi had hardly met everyone on Kagome's little "squad" and she already felt uneasy.

There was a monk named Miroku who couldn't keep his hands off her ass (Ayumi had screamed and called him a delinquent 6 times before he stopped), there was a beautiful warrior lady named Sango, her pet Kirara, and a small child, Shippo.

The "cat" and the child were both of demon blood, as explained by Kagome. Although she knew it was rude, Ayumi couldn't help but stare at the child's fox tail and paws for feet. He looked cute, she guessed.

The team looked like a band that came out from a poorly written adventure novel. There were all types of people. Ayumi quietly thought to herself that they were very much like an interesting ghostbuster squad.

She watched as Kagome slung her bow across her shoulders and prepared her arrows. She felt nauseating once more. Something about her friend going of to fight "demons" was just absurd. It almost didn't felt right that she was just sitting back and watching as everyone else went off to do something useful.

It's not like she could be much of a help anyway; she was useless and unable to defend herself. Plus, it wasn't smart to expose herself to the dangers of the forest. Ayumi very much liked human civilization better, and she would prefer it to stay that way for her.

While the farmers here loved to pull and stare at her curly hair, they were far better off than some man-eating beast.

She gave Kagome a tight embrace. "Stay safe. I don't know what's out there but...please, be careful."

Kagome returned a tight smile. "I know, 'Yumi-chan. Take care." She hopped onto Inuyasha's back, gave Ayumi one last reassuring grin, and in a flash, was gone before her eyes.

As she looked at the patch of flowing dust that was the proof of the group's existence, something didn't sit right with Ayumi. The group was afraid, not Inuyasha, however. Sango looked ashened, and Shippo was shuddering as he was taken away. Ayumi felt that something, or someone was causing Kagome and the others to feel this way. She cried last night but wouldn't tell.

The only thing that was made clear to Ayumi was that if she ever heard anything about Naraku from anyone, she would distance herself from them (or run). Naraku was supposedly behind the reason why kagome had to stay in this cursed land. Ayumi fumed; she didn't hate people, she rarely even disliked someone so bad. But upon hearing about this Naraku's past deeds, her blood did go a little hot.

In addition to Naraku, Kagome explained to her about a "Band of Seven" and how they pillaged villages just because they were paid to and thought it was enjoyable. If she also heard this from anyone, she must run for her life.

Ayumi grimaced; these people didn't sound too welcoming for her. She shivered against the wind that blew against her face. She should get back to Kaede now, the kind old lady had prepared her a few barriers that were supposed to protect her from demon attacks. She was eccentric for a person, but at least she wasn't the strangest person Ayumi had ever met.

A twinge of fear rolled down her spine. Just less than twenty-four hours ago, she barely believed in legends, and now, after witnessing a true demon in her life, she wanted to believe in anything. It wasn't a good sign to her, though.

She went back to Kaede who gave a piece of thread to her. Ayumi stared at the object quizzically until Kaede told her that it was made to protect her from lesser demons. If they touched her, they would be purified on the spot.

"Wow, um, that's great. Thank you." Ayumi managed an awkward gratitude before wrapping it around her wrist. "So, do you need help with anything around here? I want to help you guys, too."

A ghost of a smile made its way onto Kaede's face. "No worries, child. You can just help make the beds and gather some firewood. Our priority is to keep you safe until we can get you home."

Disappointment showed on Ayumi's face. "I see, alright then."

She tried to put on a cheery smile and turned to go complete her tasks. It was tiring, she just wanted to know if Kagome was safe.

Gathering firewood was harder than she thought. The length and material of the branches had to be of certain specificity or else fires wouldn't start. She groaned and took another half an hour before she made a small flame. Kaede responded that since it was her first time starting a fire, it would take some work.

Ayumi mentally slapped herself. After the day went by to almost evening, exhaustion was possessing her every move.

"Ughhhh," Ayumi slouched against a table. "Kaede, I might need some early sleep today."

The elderly woman waved her off. "Take your time to get accustomed, child."

The younger girl managed a small nod before dragging her feet back into her room. Once in, she observed the setting; everything looked so old. It served as a reminder that she was stuck here for the time being. Ayumi sniffled quietly, at least she had Kagome.

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself back in her own room. After sliding into the cool covers, she found herself drifting quicky into a deep slumber. Everything was perfectly quiet.

Until it was not. Something stirred her in her dreams; she heard someone yelling frantically in the background. Ayumi grumbled something about not wanting to go to school and subconsciously pulled up the covers.

The commotion grew louder, and she finally gained some awareness. It was now pitch black in her room. Her candles have been blown out. Feeling groggy, she managed to lift herself up from her loving blanket and looked around lazily. There was some shouting in the distance, but her fogged up mind still couldn't make up what was going on.

Finally fed up, she decided to just bear it and go back to sleep. But as soon as her head hit the pillow something crashed through her window. For a moment she was just sitting there, staring at it.

Slowly, despite fear flowing in her veins, she crept towards it and rolled it over. And there it was, gazing back at her, the glassy eyes of a dead man.

Ayumi heard another scream echo in the house, only to realize that she was the one who made the sound. N-no, he is dead... What's happening?! Scrambling, she darted for the door.

"Kaede!" Her shouts were instantly covered by the mass cries of civilians outside. She stumbled outside with tears pouring down her face. But the elderly woman was nowhere to be found.

What greeted her outside was the most horrific sight she had ever beheld to date. She found bodies lay strewn everywhere, innocent children were no exception. People were running, and she stepped on a severed head.

Ayumi gawked and shrieked even louder. Her stomach heaved and she so desperately wished that it was a nightmare. Feeling bile coming up, she quickly made a run towards the common mass.

It was real, it was really happening. She really lived in Feudal Japan where killing was just an everyday affair. Ayumi sobbed as she ran, believing everything Kagome said now. There was no turning back.

It was like reliving a war documentary that her teacher had shown her in History class back at school. She couldn't gather enough thoughts to process what it was like for the people who had seen the atrocities day to day.

She heard laughter behind her and snapped her head around to look. To her left, right in front of her eyes, was a very tall man with jaw-droppingly long claws for a weapon just slicing through people as if they were bread. His mouth leered as though the act brought him immense euphoria.

"N-no…" Ayumi managed a whimper. "Stop."

Someone grabbed her roughly from behind and she cried out. Craning her neck she turned around just in time to see a man leering down at her. He was bald and wearing a dark bandana over his head. Tattoos ran vertically up his face, making his expressions seem ever so menacing and cruel.

"Let go of me!" Her screams were becoming hoarse as she struggled uselessly against his grip. No, she couldn't die here, not without telling Kagome what happened, not this way.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as the man dragged her towards a huge machine within the fiery smoke. She coughed violently and tried to open her eyes to take a full-on view of her attackers.

The sight quickly made her want to take her request back. It was no machine, it was a ghastly looking metal thing with a human-looking head attached at the top with grimy skin. Now she really wanted to empty her stomach.

"Run!" Cries filled the air. "It's the Band of Seven! Quickly!" She almost didn't want to believe her own ears. How could fate deal her this card? She wouldn't know. All she knew now was that her life was hanging on a tiny strand of hair, all because of that so-called Naraku.

The man holding her back called out to the machine, "We've got her, big brother!"

She whimpered in defeat. There was no use of her so why were they after her? She waited for the cyborg to give the command that would decide whether or not she would live. Seconds passed and her eyes were fixed on the ground before her. Silence enveloped them as she heard the villagers gradually all escape.

Ayumi's thoughts drifted to Kaede. She wondered if the woman was even alive as there were too many bodies that lay on the streets when she last saw it.

Her eyes watered again at the thought of the elderly lady dying. Kaede had been nothing but kind to her, and the idea of her slaughtered by these men sickened her to the core. To her own surprise, Ayumi felt anger brooding in her mind.

"Let's go, my brothers." A deep, gravelly voice sounded from the top of the cyborg, "Renkotsu, go inform everyone else that we got what we came for. We must set off immediately."

The man who held her, Renkotsu, gave a hum in reply and pushed her towards the huge cyborg. All she saw a blur of movement and someone was standing before her. Ayumi flinched and drew back.

The figure sauntered closer and she made out a figure of a man of average height. As the smoke cleared, his body came into full view.

She winced; a humongous halberd was casually resting on his shoulder as he looked straight at her. His long, raven hair was braided neatly behind his back. The olive skin on his body gave a stark contrast with the white kosode and hakama. And his eyes, those malicious, dark eyes carried an amused tint in them.

The man halted right in front of her trembling form and grinned.

"Why hello!" His voice carried an air of nonchalance and sugary sweetness that was out of character given what he was. When Ayumi refused to return his greeting, he smirked. His grin morphed into a sneer on his handsome face.

"Well, well, well, allow me to introduce myself, woman. My name is Bankotsu. And it seems like we will be babysitting you for the time being."

Ayumi felt herself snap completely. "N-no!"

Bankotsu's sneer deepened, she could tell his patience was running on thin ice.

"Well, that's too bad." His retort was cold and unfeeling, making all hopes Ayumi had evaporate from her will.

The chaos around her quickly became muffled sounds of wails. Ayumi didn't get to know what else he had in mind to say because all she saw was a sudden flash of blackness and she fell limp.


	4. Chapter 4: Bargaining Chip

**Chapter Four: Bargaining Chip**

Rattling came from the darkness and engulfed Ayumi. She groaned in pain and turned on her sides. Her battered brain struggled to regain composer and control of the rest of her limbs. She faintly heard voices swimming in her head but tried to block them out. Some were laughing while some were snapping.

It felt like an eternity had passed before she could even find the strength in her to open her eyes. She faced a metal wall. Mustering up any energy that was left, Ayumi frowned and tried to shift her arms. Memories of what happened before this slowly crept back into her mind. At the thought of the glassy eyes of the dead man, Ayumi shuddered.

She was still alive, though. It didn't feel like heaven to her at the moment. The soreness in her legs and waist prevented her from making a full turn to face her other surroundings. Tears spilled from her eyes and onto her uniform. She just wanted Kagome to come and take her home.

"Ow…" She mumbled quietly as her upper body finally regained the ability to move despite the soreness in them.

Turning, she prepared herself to face another horrendous sight. Squinting at the piercing sunlight, she shielded her face from the surprise assault. As her pupils adjusted to the change in light, she saw a person sitting just a mere few feet away from her.

Her brain took its time to register the face and the clothes before coming to the conclusion that it was not her Kagome, but the damn man who wiped out almost an entire village just to seek a person out. He was just sitting there, with a jug of liquid in his hand, while gazing at her with a bored look on his face.

She stared at Bankotsu indignantly, trying to muster the courage to give him the death glare.

Upon noticing her expression , the mercenary smirked.

"It's about damn time you woke up. I was gonna have Jakotsu throttle you awake if you weren't gonna come to your senses soon." He threw out the scenario like it was just another task he had to accomplish. "Huh, if it weren't for Naraku's stupid plan, I wouldn't even have to spare a second glance before ending your pathetic life. So be thankful and save the hate until you actually die after this is over, aight?"

Ayumi couldn't choke on herself even if she wanted to. This man, _no_ , creature, was the worst of the worst criminals she had ever even heard off. She couldn't fathom what was going on inside his sadistic head as he swung his blade across his shoulders once more.

Turning, Bankotsu gave her a grin and said, "Don't fret too much. You still have some time left before Naraku is done with you." If it weren't for his reputation and actions, Ayumi would've thought of him as cute. Those ideas were out the window as soon she realized that she was dealing with a psychotic mercenary.

The man hopped down onto the ground and waved. "Let's head back to Mt. Hakurei, guys!"

In a second's notice, Ayumi noticed two more men coming into Bankotsu's presence. Each were more terrifying than the other; she noticed the bald man who went out of his way to capture her and shivered. The very giant man with lethal claws sneered in her direction, and licked his lips. Everything was hopeless now, the only way for her to escape was to either divert their attention or wait for Kagome to save her. Ayumi trembled underneath their gaze.

"So _you're_ that filthy wench we were sent to find." A distatefull feminine tone rang in Ayumi's ears. She jumped in surprise as she finally noticed another figure standing right next to her on the huge cyborg. It was a woman, or was that a man...? Dazed, Ayumi stared at the lean-muscled individual in confusion.

When her rude stares were caught, the person snapped. "Never seen a man with makeup? You stupid bitch!"

Ayumi hiccuped. So it was a man.

After further inspection of her, he leaned closer to her and grabbed her uniform so roughly that her collar choked her. Fight or flight instinct overcame her as she tried to raise her arm and pry him away, only to find her hands bound by ropes.

She tried to find her voice to scream, but her throat was raw after a night without any water and hoarse yelling.

"Listen here, wench," The man barked into her face. "If it weren't for big brother's orders, I wouldn't even have to see such a disgusting creature like you. Behave now and maybe you'll receive a painless death." With a last snort, he shoved her back with so much force it caused her to tumble like a ball. Feeling the familiar feeling of hotness in her eyes, Ayumi looked to the floor, and tried to keep herself from sobbing.

Out of the corners of her gaze, she could see Bankotsu giving her a sly smile. He sighed mockingly and called out to the man who assaulted her, tone saccharine.

"Oi Jakotsu! Please be careful with our bargaining chip!" He laughed heartily and the rest of the band joined in with him. Ayumi felt sick to her core as anger radiated from her body. She clenched her fist and tried to stay as polite as possible by not retorting.

The man's despicable behavior revolted her, and she prayed that she would soon be rescued from their disgusting grips.

A distraction soon came to her aid as she heard faint footsteps in the distance. Everyone turned their heads towards the sound, Ayumi included. Amongst the mist on the road, two figures approached them. Bankotsu's demeanor quickly turned sour as he turned to face the newcomers.

It was a boy around the age of thirteen or so, dressed in similar garments as Ayumi saw Sango had. His gaze was soulless and stoic, sending shivers down her spine. She frowned; was he also a demon slayer? Another child was standing by him, though. The girl couldn't be any older than ten as she looked so infantile. What scared Ayumi the most was her pure white appearance. _Everything_ on this girl was white: her skin, hair, clothes,and accessories were as blinding as the winter snow in Japan. Only her eyes weren't, instead, they were the color of charcoal black. The pair of empty eyes drew to Ayumi's form and she involuntarily backed away as much as she could.

"Why didn't you let me kill that Inuyasha?" Bankotsu hissed into the girl's face. Ayumi stared in wonder; faced with the world's most deadliest human, the girl didn't even as much as blink an eye.

The girl only gave a ghostly sigh and whispered so quietly that everyone but Bankotsu had to strain to hear. "You would've been killed in that battle." At this, the mercenary went deadly quiet. His hand on the handle of his blade clenched tightly. The older boy behind her spoke up, "Inuyasha may not come for you after your escape as he is still bent on Naraku. That's why we need the woman to lure him and the others in." His words lisped through her mouth and sent a spark of realization in Ayumi.

 _So Kagome had confronted Bankotsu already_. The thought ran through her mind. And the good news was that she was still alive. At this, Ayumi smiled to herself; there was a chance to escape.

It didn't seem like a good thing to the young mercenary, however. He crashed his halberd in front of the girl's face and leaned in menacingly.

Bankotsu sneered, "You think it's because of this scratch?" Don't underestimate me, Kanna. This is nothing. I don't need some pathetic woman as bait!" His nostrils flared as he challenged the young girl before him. Kanna didn't flinch, she just tilted her head higher to stare eye to eye with him.

Kanna whispered again. "It could be much stronger." And stroked the cracked blade lovingly, as if cooing at a baby. Ayumi wondered what Kanna had meant by stronger. Bankotsu's blade looked like it could wipe out a quarter of an army in one swipe, how could it get any stronger than that?

Bankotsu looked at her looking at Renkotsu and then looked back at his "Banryu", and then his face lit up. With a smirk, he turned around. Ayumi shuddered and shrank back, fearing that he would use her or something to test out his weapon. But his gaze went past her and fell onto the bald man standing up high on the metal man.

"Renkotsu," his voice was a deadly slur. "Give me them, now."

Hearing the command, the usually silent Renkotsu balked. "What do you mean brother?" No sooner did he finish his statement when in a blur, Bankotsu had his long Banry pointed at his neck.

The leader of the Band of Seven cracked an ugly smile. "I _mean_ your shards, Renkotsu. Don't make me repeat it again."

Ayumi looked on as Renkotsu relented and took out a small glass bottle. She gasped; those were Kagome's. She had shown them to her the first night she had come to this world. He stole shards from Kagome? Fresh anger boiled in her as she seethed at him. Bankotsu noticed her distress and grinned.

"Don't hide things from me from now on, Renkotsu. I see that you've learned your lesson this time around." He took the bottle, crushed it deliberately in front of Ayumi's own eyes, and merged the shards into his halberd.

She could only stare in horror as the jewel shards pulsed within his blade and closed up the cracks. A darker feeling radiated from him and she whimpered.

Bankotsu stood proudly with his fixed blade and beamed. His eyes darkened with glee. "Now that's more like it!"

Kanna seemingly agreed and took a step back. "You are now to go to the base of Mt. Hakurei to await further orders." She turned, and with the boy, vanished into the mist.

At her abrupt ending of the conversation, Ayumi could see the path that the band was going to take was going to lead her to shit. She subconsciously looked around for a gap to slip through and noticed that everyone was looking at where the two children had been.

Scooting towards the edge of the machine, she attempted to struggle to swing her legs over when her collar was yanked back. She yelped as she was thrown back onto the metal man.

"Nice try, wench." Bankotsu snapped. Ayumi inched away from him and squeezed her eyes shut. Visibly fuming, he stalked forwards. Crushing her wrists in his large hands, he leaned in. "A few rules here: you try to escape, we cut off your legs, you wanna insult us, we pull out your tongue, and if you ever dare to do something stupid like attack us, we'll have fun hacking you from limb to limb. You got that, woman?"

Sounds of jeering came from the others as Bankotsu listed all the gruesome ways for her life to end. Ayumi couldn't focus on anything he had said other than she would be torn apart. Her lips trembled and she nodded frantically.

Releasing her, Bankotsu stormed back to the ground.

"Let's go, _now!"_ His barks sent the band into action. As he hoisted his Banryu onto his shoulders, he turned his head back towards Ayumi and hissed. "Suikotsu, make sure she stays quiet throughout whole journey, I don't want any stupid tricks or I won't be able to control myself much longer."

The man with clawed hands grinned eagerly and sauntered her way. Sudden fear spread through Ayumi as she opened her mouth to protest. She shielded her head with her face but it made no difference. She was engulfed in darkness before she even had the time to scream or curse Bankotsu's name.

 **Hope ya'll enjoyed everything so far. If you have any criticism or comments for me, you are welcome to review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Road Trip With a Walking Axe

**Chapter Five: Road Trip With a Walking Axe**

She was staring up at the ceiling in Kagome's home. Kagome was smiling down at her as she brought a deliciously cold, wet cloth to her forehead. To her right, Yka stuck her head out from the side and stuck out her tongue.

"Rise and shine!" She heard Eri screech in the background. Ayumi winced and cracked a smile. "Too bad you're gonna miss the movie in theaters, but at least we can hear it from the radio from home today!" Eri jumped into her view and beamed.

Kagome swatted her hand away and grumbled. "Let her rest, Eri. 'Yumi has a cold!" Yuka and Eri heaved a sigh and went off to bother someone else, mumbling along the way. When the door shut, Ayumi sat up sluggishly.

"Am I back?" Her dry voice cracked as the words came out. "How did you do it?"

Kagome stared at her quizzically. "What do you mean? Of course you're in my house. We found you lulling in class today and then you came here to take a nap and here you are." She rung out the cloth and replaced the old one. Aumi felt something prick her on the back of her thighs and gasped.

Her friend paid her no head and brought up at tray of hot soup.

"Here," Kagome said gently, "I made you some broth. Drink it all up!" She handed the bowl to her. Ayumi paused for a second, debating whether or not to say anything more, before downing the whole thing. It was tasteless; if anything, it didn't feel like it made her throat any less sore.

She coughed a bit and stared awkwardly at her hands.

"Umm, thank you," Ayumi felt weird as she placed the empty bowl down. Something felt strange.

Kagome smiled solemnly. "I hope you enjoyed the ride. Because things are gonna get messy from here on out." She grabbed Ayumi by the cuffs of her shirt and pulled her up. Her voice became loud and distant, to which Ayumi struggled to listen to.

Ayumi yelped, and jolted awake to a person yanking on her arms and pulling her. She whipped her head back to seek her assailant.

"I told ya that things were gonna get hairy from there." That gravelly voice boomed in her ear. Her stomach heaved. She didn't want to face him now.

It was none other than the _very_ pissed off Bankotsu, who literally hauled her off from the metal man. She almost wanted to fall back asleep and avoid his unstable character. A this moment in time, she wanted as less contact with that man as she possibly could.

Tossing her carelessly across his shoulder, he trudged into a wooden building, paying no attention to the notion that his jagged armor cut into her delicate skin.

Ayumi winced at the sharp sting but held her voice in. She was desperate for water and couldn't risk running low on her energy anymore. Her body swayed with his movements and she felt instantly dizzy.

Her captor moved at a hasty pace, probably due to the idea of getting her off him as soon as possible

Once they approached a shoji, Bankotsu opened the door, dumped her in, and proceeded to lock the doors. As she couldn't bear the idea of being without water anymore, Ayumi scooched to the door and raised her rasping voice as high as she could.

"Water," She croaked, "I need water." No one answered her. Frustrated beyond any means, she pounded her fists against the wooden doors. "Water! I need water! Please, just give me some water!" She hated herself for begging them, but her lungs didn't give a damn. Hot, precious tears gathered around her eyes and she blinked them back.

She came to the end of her strength. Her hoarse voice gave in and she slumped against her cage. A black hole of despair filled her thoughts; she couldn't see a good ending for her at the moment

"Help me," She whispered, "somebody...please, help me." Burying her head in her knees, she closed her eyes, waiting for someone, something.

She didn't expect something to happen, she was almost positive that she was going to die there. Footsteps thudded against the floor outside. Her ears perked up and she stuck her ear against the wooden boards to know more. It got louder and louder, until it stopped right in front of her locked doors.

There was a brief moment of silence as Ayumi held her breath. She waited for someone to talk, to tell her to shut up. Worse, she waited for a monster to burst through and tear her to pieces. Honestly, anything could happen to her at this point and she would believe it.

The door slammed open and she almost fell forward. Teetering backwards, Ayumi scrambled back. Rolling into a ball, she peeked through her eyes at the person standing outside.

Her gaze focused, and she shivered in fear at the sight of the leader of the mercenaries. Bankotsu stared at her blankly, uncaringly. In his hand was a porcelain bowl of water. Ayumi's throat throbbed at the sight of the liquid of life, but she didn't dare to go up to him.

Setting the bowl onto the ground carelessly, he scoffed and flicked his long braid behind his shoulders.

"You got your water." His voice was laced with a tinge of annoyance. "Now, shut up before you regret it." With another slam of the door, he returned Ayumi back into her solitary confinement.

She didn't care if she had begged for water, her body needed it. Ayumi lunged for the bowl and hastily downed it, almost choking on it. It felt so good to have the icy cooling smoothing her hot and sore throat. She was grateful for the rather generous amount. She savored the tasteless goodness and heaved a sigh. If they wanted her to shut up, they certainly got it, at least for now.

With renewed energy and a clearer head, Ayumi slowly stood up and took in her surroundings. The room wasn't massive, but it had enough room to keep her walking around until she went crazy.

There was no other doorway that could lead to an escape. Cold, hard walls surrounded her left and right. She groaned and suppressed another sob. The only way for her to run was to break through her locked door. But even if she tried, they would definitely hear something, and her outcome would not be very desirable.

She could only wait to get out of this place before she could think of a way to run. Grumbling, Ayumi laid down onto the floor and tried to fall asleep. She had to pass time before she went crazy.

Listening to her own racing heartbeat, she felt her lids grow heavier as she slipped into the dreamworld. She didn't dream that time.

It felt like only seconds before she was shaken awake by a pair of rough hands. They were pulling her to her feet before she even had the time to transition. Newfound fear raced back into her as she was dragged up by the perpetrator out of the room. She snapped her head up towards the source of disturbance.

Her vision cleared and she saw the disgruntled face of Bankotsu pulling her by her arms.

"W-what?" Her question failed to form as her airways constricted with fear. She stumbled after him, trying to keep up.

He didn't answer, just proceeded to roughly haul her into another room before shoving her in. With a loud thump, she fell face first. Uncontrollable rage fired through her body as she felt the dull pain. He didn't have the right to her like this.

Wheezing, she glowered at him and spat, "What are you doing to me?" The fear that was present was gone and all that was left was anger and bitterness.

He stalked up to her in a flash and stared her down. She could feel a twinge of regret settling in her stomach, but she couldn't find the will to back down. She had had enough of his bullshit.

He snarled into her face, "Go. wash." His fists shook at the sides, threatening to break through their invisible chains and smash her face into bloody pieces. "Because after this, you would find that privilege gone for a long while." She pushed her towards a bin filled with cold water.

"I don't need a filthy woman with me as I lug her around. Now go wash up before I get on with our little trip." He spat his words out of his mouth as if they scalded his tongue. Pointing vehemently at the small tub, he ordered her to strip.

Ayumi couldn't process his commands in her fuming mind.

She snapped, " _What_ did you just say?" She stood rigidly against the cold bin, waiting for a blow to the face. That definitely ticked him off. Bankotsu didn't move, he didn't speak; he just looked at her.

"You don't want to go about this the hard way, woman." His tone was dangerously low and calm. "Trust me. Now strip. Wash. Now." His jaw clenched and she knew he was no longer going to go along with her tantrums.

Thousands of gruesome punishments flooded her mind as she thought what would happen if she stayed stubborn. Ayumi clenched her fists and turned around.

She whispered, "Please let me do it alone, at least." She knew she wasn't in the position to ask for accommodations. He could be livid now, he had to be. She braced herself for pain, waiting for the threats, but none came. All she heard was the sound of footsteps fading and a loud slam of the shoji.

"You have five minutes." His voice called out from outside. "Don't make me come drag you out."

Her heart thumped in relief, she had some privacy now. She set her gaze to the measly-looking tub; she had to get going.

* * *

The rest of the band wasn't allowed to follow them to where they were destined to go. Ayumi had struggled against Bankotsu's grasp as he tied a rope around her wrists and yanked her along like an owner would do to a disobedient puppy. The very idea brought new waves of hot fury into her eyes. But he paid no attention to the seething girl.

Behind them, Jakotsu whined about how he wouldn't get to see Inuyasha for the last time. Ayumi flinched in disgust at the man's almost erotic interest in cutting of her friend's ears. She despised him, she despised all of them.

It didn't take long for Naraku's saimyosho's to catch up with them. The insects had flown around her, inspecting her up and down. The atrocious-looking wasps bumbled amongst themselves before going to Bankotsu.

"I get it." He snapped. "I know where we're supposed to go. So buzz off!" He waved at the bugs with annoyance. The largest wasp cocked its ugly head before making a snickering sound. It turned around and flew into the distance, leading the others away with it, much to Ayumi's pleasure. Kagome's description was right: that Naraku was indeed a terrifying creature.

"Are you sure you can handle Inuyasha alone?" Renkotsu's voice was filled with disbelief and suspicion. "He is rather skilled for his kind." The bald man stared quizzically at the young leader, Ayumi thought she could see a bit of disdain plastered on his lips.

Bankotsu's eyes flared as he faced him. He snarled, "You think I would need help killing a _half breed_?" He challenged the taller man with authority. Ayumi couldn't blame the rest of the band for shrinking back, including Renkotsu, their leader practically radiated destruction and insanity.

"N-no, big brother." Renkotsu faltered his speech. "I was just concerned for your well-being." He shifted nervously away from Bankotsu with his eyes narrowing at the floor.

Bankotsu laughed, his hostile demeanor gone. "Don't ya worry, I'll kill Inuyasha and finish Naraku's orders before ya'll know it." He gave a good-natured wave and patted Renkotsu on the shoulder.

"Now then," Bankotsu drawled out, "let's go, _woman."_ He yanked her to him in a single pull and proceeded to head away from the group. "Hurry it up so I can get rid of you."

Her blood boiled hot as she staggered after him. Oh how she wanted to clobber him with a stone. Glaring at the back of his head, she wanted to curse him. He was barely a few years older than her; he could be a student at her junior high, but his monstrosity killed all sympathy she had for him. Horrendous and despicable, those were the perfect adjectives for him.

* * *

"I can smell her here."

Inuyasha grabbed a handful of sand and held it close to his nose. Kagome straightened up and bounded to him. Her heart raced excitedly; they could save Ayumi now. Hope surged through her after a whole day of panic and distress.

She remembered her whole being feeling faint as she saw what was left of Kaede's village. They had found the old woman lay passed out on the fields nearby.

Kaede had told them about the raid and the disappearance of her friend. Inuyasha was furious; the old plan of following Naraku's trail had to be revised and a new target had to be made. They had to get Ayumi back first.

Kagome trailed after Inuyasha as he stalked down a clearing. Sango and Miroku followed suit. The hanyou's golden eyes narrowed in suspicion and Kagome thought if he smelled something strange or dangerous.

He growled. Hesitantly, Kagome patted his shoulder.

"What is it?" She asked. He shook his head and focused on her.

Inuyasha sighed and replied, "The scent of Ayumi has been mixed with the flowery smell of that puppet of Naraku's earlier."

His words rang alarm bells in her. She paused, giving herself some time to process. Naraku couldn't have killed her, right? No, it couldn't be.

"Ayumi's not dead." Her voice quivered. "She can't be."

Inuyasha scoffed. "I didn't say she was dead. I don't smell her blood or death in her. She's alive, I know for sure."

Kagome's eye watered. She knelt on the grass and clenched her fists. Dread still poured into her.

"It's all my fault," she whispered, "if I haven't been so hasty to come here, this would never have happened."

Giving an exasperated sigh, Inuyasha pulled her up.

"Stop worrying about what had happened, Kagome." He snapped. "It's too late for that. What's important right now is that we find her and that stupid band before anything happens."

Miroku nodded in agreement. Sang went by her side and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Inuyasha's right," she said softly, "We need to stop mauling over what could've been and start fixing the problem. The sooner we get Ayumi back, the sooner we can go terminate Naraku and end this cycle. Then all will be alright."

"Though this could be a trap of something." Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I have a strange feeling about this."

Inuyasha grunted, "Doesn't matter. We'll still have to face Bankotsu after he took Ayumi. Feh, that bastard. Looks like Naraku would have to wait a bit until I come after him."

After a moment of silence, Kagome gave a small tilt of her head to agree. Her fists clenched; she would find Ayumi, no matter what demon Naraku sent in her way.

She stood up proudly and faced the horizon.

"Which way is her scent going?" She asked. The hanyou sniffed the air and smiled. He pointed east towards the mass of fields.

Inuyasha smirked. "They're not gonna go anywhere, not if I can help it."

* * *

The band's lodgings quickly disappeared out of sight as Ayumi and the mercenary walked into a lustrous forest. She looked back and noticed that all trees were entangled together, seemingly creating a web that not even flying beings could escape from. The place was a cage. She glanced warily at Bankotsu, who seemed to be in a good mood despite the tension in the forest.

He whistled good-heartedly, not caring if her stare bore holes into the back of his head. He yanked on the rope whenever he felt that she was slowing down, making her almost trip over raised tree branches many times.

She hissed angrily at him, but he barely even acknowledged her. Dead silence filled the void around them and she shivered at the gradual cold of the approaching dusk.

The coarse ropes that bound her wrists were beginning to make cuts into her skin. She could already feel the soreness starting to seep into her arms. After what was like a few dozen minutes, she couldn't take the silence or the pain anymore.

She needed something to distract her.

Ayumi cleared her voice loudly and spoke up, "Where are we even going?" Her shrill voice echoed in the forest. She shuddered; the place was creepier than she thought.

She knew he heard her. By the tilt of his head, she knew he heard it.

A low, rumbled laugh vibrated from him and he answered, "I don't think you should be excited about where we're headed. It might be the last place ya would be in in your life." He scoffed and continued to casually saunter his way through the trees. He made it sound like it wasn't even her business to know after she was required to be there. Her temper flared and she was about to make another snappy retort before he held up a hand.

"Save your insults for later, woman." He interjected lazily. "You might not be happy when you are at your last moments and you don't even have the energy to harp back." His bored tone in addition to his uncaring view of life quickly made her anger soar.

Gritting her teeth, the curly-haired girl stomped up to him, while ignoring the consequence. Ayumi seethed as she snarled.

"I think I won't ever have enough time to curse your name enough." Her words slipped from her lips one by one, emphasizing her abhorrence.

To her surprise, he didn't even bother to turn his head. He just chuckled like he was just told a mediocre joke. He kept with his pace, which pressed her buttons even more.

Bankotsu snorted. "Throw whatever you have there. Ya can at least make up a few good insults while you're at it. Maybe you can enjoy your last few days spouting nonsense before it ends for you."

His words stung her. She was just a toy to them, being thrown around for bait and whatnot. He didn't even treat her like a basic human, not that she expected him to. She still couldn't understand why she was captured. She held no use to anyone, especially Naraku. She let a few silent tears slip from her before coming to a complete halt. If she had to die, then she would die with dignity, not roped up like a criminal.

"Release me." Her demand was crisp and curt. She held out her wrists to him, not caring if he responded with physical force.

At this, Bankotsu turned around, his eyebrows raised slightly.

"And why would I do that, stupid woman." He smirked at her glowering form before making a mock, thoughtful hum. After a moment of thinking, his smirk widdened.

He laughed heartily. "Aight! I'll let you loose." He produced a small knife from his arm-guard and casually approached her quaking body. "But don't get any ideas. If ya try to run, Banryu won't be so nice to you and you'll probably end up in pieces. If that's what you want." His demeanor turned low and dark in an instant, foreshadowing her gruesome ending if she tried anything funny. He gripped her hands tightly, sending shockwaves of pain in her arms. She got the point.

Holding another insult back, Ayumi hissed and gave a curt nod. Malice gone, he cut up the ropes and her raw skin was now free.

"Thanks." A quiet mutter escaped her lips before she knew it. She wanted to slap herself for her automatic polite response. She didn't need to thank him; she didn't even deserve to be in this position in the first place. Shame rose from her stomach.

Her uneasiness only fueled his mischief. "You are _very_ welcome, woman." With a haughty smile on his face, Bankotsu waved for her to follow. It took all her willpower to hold herself back and not strike him.

She trudged along, not bothering to make anymore comments with the monstrosity of a human in front of her.


	6. Chapter 6: Monster

Walking in the busiest streets of Tokyo for a whole day was one thing, walking in a dark, giant forest filled with gross insects and muddy grounds was another. Ayumi's legs wanted to crumble beneath her and melt away. They had been walking for god knows how long. She wanted to scream at him to stop and let her rest, but the fear of repercussions held her mouth shut.

Crickets chirped quietly in the background as they wallowed through the tall bushes. The sun had set maybe hours ago but Bankotsu showed no signs of slowing down or wanting to take a break.

Ayumi sighed and rubbed her hands. She did remember Kagome informing her that he and his men were raised from the dead, so maybe he didn't have the need to sleep? Her brow furrowed in frustration; but what about her?!

Her knees were becoming weak and her steps were getting smaller. She needed to rest, and most of all, eat. The last time she ate was when she had dinner with Kaede and the villagers. Her vision blurred; that was around a day or two ago. At the realization, her stomach growled viciously, sending hollow pain up her stomach. Ayumi grimaced; she really wanted a McDonald's at the moment.

At the thought of a juicy burger unwrapped and ready to be eaten, her stomach took up a more drastic tactic and rumbled so loudly she swore it echoed through the forest. Her embarrassed cheeks flushed red as she felt the awkward silence tense up. Bankotsu's even pace halted, and he turned around, his eerily calm face now full with annoyance.

"Are you serious, woman?" He hissed, "Just how much do you eat?" His eyes narrowed dangerously at her, as if her hunger was a deadly nuisance to his existence.

Ayumi wanted to cower and say that it was nothing. But her patience towards him was thinning rapidly, she didn't owe him anything. She flashed him a glare to match up with his and clenched her fists.

If she had to die by his hands, she should at least get a last meal. Ayumi huffed and snorted.

"I'm not a ghost, _man,"_ she spat, imitating his way of speech, "I need to eat and sleep, for your information. The last time we talked you mentioned that you needed me alive to bait my friends. So how about we keep me alive and kicking so that you can meet your pathetic goals!"

Her voice quivered with fury as she stood her place. The mercenary looked taken aback by her sudden explosion. But he immediately reverted back to normalcy when his hand shot out to grip her throat so tightly that she thought she felt her muscles snapping beneath her skin. She opened her mouth to scream, but her constricted airways only made her squeak.

Bankotsu seethed as he held her in his death grip; there was no intention to kill her, yet, just a firm physical warning.

He leaned into her ear, his hot breath blowing down her neck. Ayumi shivered slightly, shaking with fear and anger.

"The last time we talked," he sneered, "I didn't remember giving you the privilege to make demands." His calloused fingers dug into her already bruised skin; she couldn't help but whimper. Ayumi's vision blurred as she fought for her strand of life.

He stared at her, eyes unwavering. Something flashed in his eyes and she felt him loosen his hand. In a flash, his contorted face melted into a blank expression, one of carelessness. Without a word, he dropped her like she was nothing but a caught rabbit for dinner. She landed with a painful thump while gasping for air. Shivering, she gazed back up at him, expecting a sharp blow or the feeling of a blade piercing skin. None came.

Bankotsu stood there, hand on his hips in a thoughtful manner, and hummed.

"I guess you should be fed." He whistled like what happened just then wasn't a big deal. "Need ya thrive'n before you witness your own life leaving." Smirking, he motioned her to come as he picked up his journey once again. Ayumi barely hissed out an insult as she staggered to her feet.

Bankotsu turned his head slightly, and faced her again, before opening his mouth. "I'll go search for dinner, woman. You stay here."

Ayumi gawked; was he just going to just leave her here? Her mind went in a full circle and she suppressed a smirk. It looked like the mercenary was just too trusting of his own skills. Just as she was about to turn to look for an opening, she felt her muscles go stiff and a sharp pang of soreness surged through her being. She tried to turn to the source of discomfort, but to her horror, she couldn't even budge a finger. Only her head and lips were mobile, giving her a short range of sight.

"What are you-?!" Ayumi screeched loudly, hoping it would deafen him. The mercenary smiled serenely. She wanted to smack him. Her body didn't obey her commands, she was stuck in one position. "What is _this?!"_

Picking up Banryu, Bankotsu sauntered farther away from her. He smirked in her direction and called out, "Don't fret, I just applied a simple pressure point on ya. You should be able to move in about two hours or so. I'll be back to let ya go, _promise_!" The last word was said with so much mockery that Ayumi wished anger alone was enough to stab a person. She glared daggers at him a he disappeared into the dark, eerie bushes. She screamed his name, cursed it, and threw as much of a tantrum as a temporarily paralyzed person could do.

No answer was thrown back to her; Bankotsu was probably already too far to hear. Ayumi huffed and tried to survey her surroundings. They were at a base of a decently-sized tree, and around them were rows and rows of more trees and bushes covered with icky moss.

She gulped at the darkening sight of the forest; for what Kagome said was true, then a demon would probably smell her and take her for its dinner instead. Two hours, he had said she needed two hours to be free. She wanted to sob in frustration; he'd be back by then.

Something rustled nearby and she almost shrieked. Looking around frantically, she couldn't find anyone or anything moving, just the rustling of the leaves from the howling wind.

Fear was creeping up to her, filling her stomach with dread. She wanted it to be over. Being killed was a lot better than being eaten alive. Ayumi clenched her eyes shut and willed the horrendous images to go away. She just had to wait two hours or less; Bankotsu's skilled in killing, he'll be back soon, or so she hoped.

Pausing in her thoughts, Ayumi wanted to hit her head against a tree. She didn't need his help, nor did she _want_ him to come back. What was she thinking? She grumbled his name angrily and stared straight ahead at the bushes where he was before.

She waited for the familiar silhouette to emerge from them again so she could tell him just exactly what she thought of him.

The bush bristled slightly, and her eyes went wide with shock. Bankotsu had barely left for twenty minutes, how could he be back? Ayumi frowned; she didn't realize that catching prey was that easy.

She squinted to make out his face, but she only screamed. A pair of red eyes stared back, practically glowing with menace. Her thoughts from before came back in a rush and Ayumi felt herself trying to shriek as loud as possible.

The owner of the pair slowly came from the trees and it stood in front of her. Ayumi would've fainted if it weren't for her paralyzed form. In front of her was a massive, coyote-like beast. Its unruly fur ran in all directions, and mangly claws protruded from its paw as it paced around her, sniffing at her with its deformed snout.

 _No!_ Panicked thoughts overwhelmed her as she awaited the next action from the beast. She couldn't go out like this, she had so much left for her to do in her life. Whimpering, Ayumi casted her head down, avoiding the horrendous look it was sending her.

She could feel the sweat starting to bead around her forehead and back.

The coyote sniffed her some more, closer this time, causing her to cry out even louder. It circled her slowly, menacingly, as if trying to decide whether it should bite at her head first or arms.

Then it decided. With a mighty roar and a look of determination in its beady eyes, the coyote lunged straight at her form.

Ayumi could only stare as the beast soared towards her with its teeth bared and claws unleashed. She could feel its putrid breath from inches apart. Fear overtook her consciousness. Screaming, she closed her eyes and cried out, "BANKOTSU!"

The claws drew near and she braced herself for the the impact, an impact which never came.

A roar sounded from the forest, but this time, it was a man's. The beast's fangs were just inches apart from her neck when a blur of white flashed in front of her and the beast was thrown aside. Three, four seconds went by and Ayumi blinked at where the coyote was and sucked in a breath. She wasn't dead.

Loud whining erupted at the sides of her vision and she snapped her eyes to to the fallen animal. She gasped as she witnessed Bankotsu holding the gigantic cat down with his own bare hands with his knees as locks.

The beast snarled and tried to claw at his fine face as it struggled beneath Bankotsu's hold. His sheer strength was horrific, yet it was almost amazing to Ayumi. The mercenary growled and roughly yanked the animal at the neck. With a quick twist of his hands, a snap was heard from the coyote and it stilled. The soft whines of its last breath died with its body.

Ayumi didn't notice the breath she was holding as she sighed. Terror gone, she gazed at the predator, guilt somehow pouring through out of all feelings. The coyote wanted to live, too.

Bankotsu, sensing the life had drained away, gracefully rolled into a sitting position which transformed into him standing right away. Barely glancing back at the animal he slaughtered, he dusted himself off and trotted to Ayumi's side. His hands shot out and she flinched.

In an instant, she felt her body relax and her frozen arms fell loose by her sides as she regained mobility. Staring at him, she pulled her arms around her and stayed where she was. His nonchalance about the whole situation kick-started her anger back up.

"You didn't have to kill it," Her voice was accusing, "it was just hungry. You could've just scared it away."

The mercenary scoffed as he retrieved his weapon. "It stole our dinner and almost killed my cargo." He glanced lazily at her, not a single shred of pity in those cold, blue eyes. "That demon deserved it."

Ayumi blanched; he referred to her as a mere object. His callous response perturbed her and whatever gratefulness she had for him vanished immediately. She glared at the him, hands clenching her dress.

Bankotsu smirked at the visibly shaking girl and spoke, "If it makes you feel better, I just saved your life and got you dinner. So be thankful."

Her head shot up to meet his smug smile. He walked to the fallen demon and whipped out a decent-sized dagger. The edges gleamed maliciously under the silver moon's light. Without looking at her, he called out from the demon's side.

"You might not want to look." He plunged the blade deep into the coyote, making gargling, wet sounds. Ayumi yelped and turned away, blood and gore would drive away any trace of appetite in her.

She never had demon meat before. Honestly, she wouldn't think anyone would have had it before if they could help it. If someone told her three days ago that she would eat demon's flesh, she would've laughed in their faces. It was absurd.

Bankotsu shoved a freshly cooked piece of the coyote in her face and glared viciously at her.

"Eat, woman." He hissed dangerously. "I do not want to hear anymore pathetic whining from you." He watched as she obediently chewed on it. His mood swing were erratic, and she definitely did not want to be caught in the middle of it. The taste caught her by surprise, it wasn't too bad. However, she wouldn't revisit the dish if she had a choice in the matter.

Taking a peek at him, she noticed that he had already finished his share and was preparing to roll over.

"I want sake," Bankotsu grumbled. Ayumi watched tentatively as he peered back at her with a sudden turn of his head.

Ayumi frantically stuffed her face with food and pretended like nothing happened. She heard a scoff from the mercenary and her eyes narrowed.

Bankotsu leaned on his elbows and yawned. "Rest up while you can, woman. Who knows when it'll be your last day." Sitting up, he watched shamelessly at her feasting. Ayumi wanted to retort, but her mouth was kept shut for the fear of him taking out whatever anger that was inside of him on her if she made another scene for him again.

Although she wasn't as fearful of him as before the demon incident, he was still a psychotic, run-off-the-mill criminal.

The rest of dinner was uneventful as she avoided any chances to make a conversation. Bankotsu put out the fire and ordered her to sleep. Just as she was about to pretend and wait for him to go first, he laughed heartily.

"I ain't stupid," he said, "I'll be watching."

Resolve broken temporarily, Ayumi shot out a tongue in her sluggish state at him. She shifted to her sides and found sleep in matter of minutes, surprisingly. He didn't seem to need sleep, so it seems. It didn't matter to her, anyways, at least she didn't need to deal with him in her dreams.


	7. Chapter 7: When The Cat is Gone

**Chapter Seven: When the Cat's Gone Mice Will Play**

Inuyasha barely dodged out of the way as a lesser demon made a swipe at his head. Kagome screamed as it tried to lunge at her legs, The dog demon growled as he finshed off the creature with a clean slice across its hideous body.

This was impossible, they had been barely walking for an hour that day and this was already the sixth demon they had encountered on this one path. It didn't seem right, and on top of that, it was fucking in the earliest of mornings.

Inuyasha wriggled his nose and turned his head back to his fallen friends.

"Yo guys!" He called out. "Isn't it weird that the only thing we have been doing this whole time was killing demons over and over again?" Looking over to Miroku, Inuyasha noticed the monk was also in deep thought.

Sango chirped up breathlessly, "You're right, this whole day we've been confronting them one after another, and in broad _daylight_ , too. And it isn't just today, ever since since Naraku disappeared, demons roaming around have been much frequent."

The thought made Inuyasha's stomach churn in disgust; the thought of another discrepancy in their mission caused by none other than Naraku himself made his blood boil. But it wasn't the only thing that made him uneasy; Naraku had no reason to disappear like that. In the past months, only his puppets appeared, and even then, they were rare. The only time he ever saw him was that day with the Band of Seven. Inuyasha furrowed his brows.

He looked over to Kagome, who was biting the bottoms of her lips furiously at the dead demon before them.

The modern school-girl fumbled with her hands as she ground out a few unintelligent words. It made Inuyasha's fur stand on edge; Kagome hadn't been feeling well ever since they spotted blood on the tracks, despite him telling her over and over again how it doesn't smell of Ayumi. Still, the girl had doubts, not that he didn't understand her feelings. It was just her constant worrying that was starting to make him feel pessimistic, too.

Kagome finally looked up to him and sighed, "At least we haven't seen any dangerous ones, yet. I have a bad feeling that this is only gonna get worse for us from now."

"Feh," Inuyasha scoffed, "I don't think Naraku would be dumb enough to have some overpowered demon scurrying around prowling for jewel shards. He's just _too_ greedy and paranoid to do that."

This couldn't be a distraction, it just couldn't be. If Naraku had wanted to take them out so early, he would've sent out Kagura or one of his spawns to have their way with them. Using useless demons as a device just isn't his way of playing.

Inuyasha gave a scornful huff and pushed the thought away in his head. They still had a whole day ahead of themselves, and they needed to get going, fast.

"We need to keep moving, staying here isn't safe." The rest of the group seemed to agree as they dusted themselves up and prepared to move. Sango patted Kagome's shoulder and Miroku said a few encouraging words. That was all they could offer. Kagome appeared to have calmed down a little and returned a shaky smile.

Walking up to Inuyasha, she gave him a reassuring smile and hugged him close. "Yeah, let's go find our friend."

They had barely moved two paces when a loud shriek came from behind them. Desperation was beginning to possess Inuyasha as he almost wanted to slam his head onto the ground himself.

With a loud growl, he snapped his head in the direction of the cries, his claws extending so fast he heard his fingers click. "What _now,_ demon?!" But what met his gaze wasn't some gruesomely proportioned creature. His amber eyes widened so large he could feel them pop out

A little boy, barely over the age of six, stumbled towards them. He had a long gash running from his eye to the bottom of his chin, splitting the skin clean. His clothes could've been a neatly patterned blue, but it was now in a terrible shade of muddy-red and tattered.

Kagome cried out and rushed to him, letting the boy fall into her arms. Miroku quickly pulled out his medicinal cabinet and rummaged for anything that could be useful, and Sango was ordering Kirara and Shippo to go scout out anything strange or dangerous.

Inuyasha stared in pure shock at the unconscious child. He could smell it, the demon's putrid scent all over the boy, and it carried that exact same aroma Naraku's puppet had when that wretched thing helped the Band of Seven escape.

* * *

It felt like it had only been mere minutes between falling asleep and waking up for Ayumi when she felt her eyes opening to the warm welcome of the sun beaming down on her face. She grumbled something unintelligent and shifted onto her side to avoid the pervasive lights. Just as she felt herself lulling back into dreamworld, she was rattled, quite aggressively, awake again.

"Wake up, woman." A cold, clear voice sounded from above in a brusque manner. One phrase from _that_ man himself was enough to shoot her out from her dozed stupor and back into reality. Ayumi opened her eyes wide and sat up faster than an unhinged spring.

Trembling, she looked around for Bankotsu. She found him standing right next to her head, towering over her like a menacing wrestler about to pound his opponent. The man wasn't even that tall, probably half a head more taller than herself, but his physical presence commanded just about everything from anyone. His stony gaze bore down on her impatiently.

Ayumi gawked, was something wrong? "Uh...yes?"

She could almost see the veins around Bankotsu's riple in frustration. He holstered his grand weapon onto his shoulders and sneered.

"Keep moving, or I'll remove those legs of yours since they don't seem to be doing their job." He didn't wait for her to respond before he strode along away from her. Sensing his upcoming, explosive temper, Ayumi scampered to her feet and scurried over to him. In her hurry, she didn't even notice the twigs stuck in her curly hair and clothes.

Bankotsu paid no attention to her as he fixed his eyes onto the coming path of the forest trail. He looked eerily calm as he walked almost leisurely, leading her away from their camp from last night.

It was a perfectly sunny day even in the deepest of this forest. Sunlight shined through the crevices between branches and functioned like small street lights. She could almost believe that she was only taking a peaceful walk in nature if it weren't for the psycho killer with a blade in front of her. It was agonizingly quiet as they made their way through the rest of the forest.

The long period of silence was killing her barely five minutes into the journey; back at home and at school, she chattered with no limits and had much fun doing it with her best friends. The thought brought her back to Kagome and the others, and a pang of hurt sprung from her chest. There was no way Kagome and Inuyasha would find her now, since she is currently in the middle of nowhere. The idea of being stuck with the man in front of her until the end of her life made tears form around the corners of her eyes.

She swallowed back a choke of a sob, and fixed her gaze on the back of the mercenary ahead of her. His casual stance with this whole issue burned a hole in her patience, and she could feel her indignation flaring up once again. She contemplated about making a dash for the bushes; desperation was beginning to cloud her mind as she mulled over the consequences of fulfilling his task. If she followed him to the whatever island they were headed to, she would end up dead anyway. And the thought of letting Bankotsu gaining the upper hand over her sent shivers down her neck.

 _He isn't a super-human,_ she thought, _the only advantage in this forest is to disappear suddenly. It's not like he has super senses, he's only powerful when people fight him head on, yeah?_

Ayumi was slowly gaining confidence as she further debated with herself about the escape. It didn't seem harmful; it wasn't like Bankotsu was one those CIA agents she saw in movies being super sensitive with movements or whatnot. There might be a chance, even if little.

Her toes curled in her socks and she dug her foot deep into the soil as she trudged along with him. Mentally setting three seconds in her head, Ayumi gritted her teeth and counted.

 _One, two, three._ Almost snapping herself to the right, she prepared to lunge into the bushes and disappear when Bankotsu stopped dead in his tracks.

She froze, all courage evaporated in seconds. He couldn't have read her mind now, he wasn't any magical being. Ayumi prayed that being an undead didn't give him special skills. Bankotsu looked to his left, and then to the right and above. Something wasn't right. He growled.

"How the fuck did we end up back here again?!" He snarled at no one particularly. Ayumi stifled a sigh; he wasn't onto her trail afterall.

His sudden outburst confused her and she peered at him quizzically. She didn't think they were walking in circles, at least.

Ayumi squeaked, "Um, weren't we walking straight ever since?" Her inquiry caused him to snap his cold eyes back to her trembling form. The mercenary sneered, with an expression that could almost translate to "how are you so stupid?"

"You see this log here, woman?" He jammed his thumb in the direction to a nearby trunk that was long dead and covered in moss. "I've seen this stupid thing at least two times now, the exact same one."

` Ayumi couldn't believe what she was hearing; there was no way they could be walking in a circle if they had only been walking straight for the past two hours.

She cleared her throat, and twindled her fingers. "Maybe there are more than just one dead log in this forest?" She felt dumb the moment her words left her mouth. Bankotsu's stare could only be described as dumbfounded. Quickly, she held up her hands and muttered a string of "neverminds".

Seeing that he wasn't going to strike her, she inched up closer to his side and peeked forward onto the road. Her eyes squinted at the darkened end of the forest. She thought they were close to heading out given the time they spent traveling, but somehow, the path in front of them seem to disappear into nothing.

Chills stirred in her guts as she felt a string of fear rumble through her. This was definitely creepy.

"I'm scared." She said flatly. Bankotsu scoffed and rolled his eyes.

He smirked at her. "Of course you are, _delicate flower._ " He pushed past her and continued to walk down the road. Now even more puzzled, Ayumi ran up after him.

"Aren't you going to investigate it?" Her piping voice sounded much more confident than before. Bankotsu didn't bother to look at her this time and turned up a corner of his lips.

He laughed, "I realized that there's no point in worryin'. I'm sure whatever did this is becoming impatient and would want its lunch soon, especially when it knows that I've caught on. I'll cut it down when it decides to stop playing." She furrowed her brows at his nonchalant statement and looked ahead of her.

Without further warning, Bankotsu threw his head back and called out, "Isn't that right, ya cowards?" She noticed the grip on his halberd tighten and his lips forming into a sly smile. And then she felt the cold wind gushing into her face.

The sun that shone above them just minutes before disappeared into the advancing clouds that swept over them like fog. Instantly, the path ahead of them became clouded with mist; Ayumi fought to keep her nerves calm as she unwittingly scooted closer to Bankotsu.

The eerie grin on his face morphed into a scowl as he narrowed his eyes. And in one swift motion, Banryu was off his shoulder and on his side. Ayumi yelped and looked up at him.

"W-what's happening?" She managed a squeak. He didn't answer, just stared head-on in the direction of their original road. The mist was getting stronger, and Ayumi noticed a faint musky scent that was starting to flow around in all direction.

Bankotsu didn't move his head to acknowledge her, but the next thing he said only made her fears shoot straight up to the sky.

"Stay close," he ordered, "whatever you do, unless I say so, keep me in sight."


End file.
